Roll stand



6, 1970 Y la '34874672 ROLL STAND Filed May 1. 1967 '4-S heets-Sheet 1 FIG./

INVENTOR: ERNST THEUDUR SACK his ATTORNEY jam. 6, 1973 ROLL STAND Filed May 1, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOP: ERNST THEUDUR SA ET. SACK 3,487,672

Maw

his ATTORNEY mm 1 fl INVENTOR- ERNST THEU BUR SACK BY W5 9U his ATTORNEY E. T. SACK ROLL STAND Jan. 6, 1970 Filed May 1, 1

4 SheetsSheet 4 ERNST TH his A TTOPNEY United States Patent 3,487,672 ROLL STAND Ernst Theodor Sack, Bellscheidter Weg 29, Hose], Dusseldorf, Germany Filed May 1, 1967, Ser. No. 634,937 Int. Cl. B21b 31/24 US. Cl. 72-248 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roll stand wherein each column comprises two mutually spaced arms provided with registering openings receiving with clearance the end portions of a removable crosshead which is adjustable lengthwise of the arms and abuts against one side of the roll frame. The arms extend vertically or horizontally and their openings can be large enough to permit for lateral evacuation of the frame for a roll which is rotatable about a vertical axis as is customary in a universal rolling mill.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to roll stands for use in rolling mills, and more particularly to improvements in such parts of roll stands which engage and support or locate the frames of rolls in universal mills or other types of rolling mills.

It is already known to construct the roll stand of a rolling mill in such a way that the rolls and their frames can be withdrawn in a direction at right angles to the axes of rolls. Such roll stands comprise pairs of columns whose upper end portions are bridged by a traverse, also called cap. The adjusting or shifting devices for the uppermost roll of the roll stand are mounted on the cap, together with their drives and certain other auxiliary equipment. If a roll is to be removed from the stand, the cap and all component parts which are mounted thereon or therein must be detached from and lifted off the columns. The weight of such caps is extremely high, especially in heavyduty rolling mills; therefore, the plant must be equipped with expensive lifting devices which serve to move the caps onto and away from the columns. Also, the caps must be very strong in order to withstand bending and other stresses which develop in the course of a rolling operation and, therefore, the weight of a cap alone is extremely high, let alone the additional weight of shifting devices, their drives and other parts which are mounted in or on the cap. Furthermore, the caps are bulky and occupy much floor space during the intervals when the operators remove or exchange the rolls and their frames from the columns of a roll stand. The connections between a cap and its columns must be very strong to insure that they can withstand the stresses which are being transmitted to the cap during rolling; consequently, such connections, too, occupy much space, their weight is considerable, and their application or detachment requires additional heavy-duty equipment including motors and other auxiliaries.

Accordingly, it is an important object of my invention to provide a greatly simplified roll stand which can take up substantial stresses but need not be provided with a cap.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roll stand wherein at least the major part of adjusting and shifting devices which determine the position of roll frames when the stand is in actual use need not be detached from the columns when the roll or rolls of a stand must be withdrawn from or reinserted into the stand.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roll stand which can be Z-high or more than Z-high and which ice can be used in many types of rolling mills including those known as universal mills.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a roll stand wherein the frames of rolls can be withdrawn from or reinserted into their operative positions with little loss in time and wherein such moving of rolls and their frames requires less complicated and less expensive equipment than in presently known rolling mills.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide a roll stand wherein the part which must be withdrawn in order to permit for withdrawal or insertion of a roll frame occupies very little floor space and is of sufficiently lightweight construction to be safely supported above the ground during the entire interval when a roll frame is being instruced into or withdrawn from the stand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION with sufficient clearance for limited movement in the longitudinal direction of the arms, an adjusting device provided in or on each arm and having a shifting member movable into abutment with the respective end portion of the crosshead to displace the latter in the longitudinal direction of the arms, and a roll frame abutting against that (median) portion of the crosshead which extends between the two arms. The crosshead can be engaged by the frame for the uppermost roll of a 2-, 3- or more high roll stand whereby the roll rotates about a horizontal axis. In a universal rolling mill, the arms may extend laterally from an upright portion of their column and the crosshead abuts against one lateral side of a frame which supports a roll rotatable about a vertical axis.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved roll stand itself, however, both as to its construction and the mode of assembling the same, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper portion of a roll stand which embodies one form of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through one column of the roll stand as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IIII of FIG. 1, but showing a slightly modified roll frame;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one column in a modified roll stand which can be used in a universal rolling mill;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section through the modified roll stand as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IVlV of FIG. 3, with the crosshead in operative position; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 4 but with the crosshead removed and with the roll frameshown in the process of being evacuated through the opening of one of the arms.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a roll stand which comprises two upright columns A, B each of which comprises two vertical arms or upper end portions 1. The upper part of each arm 1 is provided with a rectangular opening 1a and the opening 1a of one arm which forms part of the column A or B registers with the opening 1a of the other arm which forms part of the respective column. The spaces between the arms 1 of the columns A and B accommodate pairs of roll frames 2 receiving the respective ends of rolls R which are rotatable about horizontal axes. The frames 2 of the upper roll R (or the uppermost roll if the stand is 3-high or more than 3-high) abut against the undersides of horizontal crossheads 4 whose end portions are received in the registering openings 1a. The median portion of each crosshead 4 is in full face-to-face abutment with the upper side of the respective frame 2. The height of each opening 1a exceeds the corresponding transverse dimension of the respective crosshead 4, but the width of each opening at least approximates the corresponding transverse dimension of the respective crosshead so that each crosshead is received in its openings 1a with clearance for movement or displacement in the longitudinal direction of the arms 1.

Each arm 1 further carries an adjusting device which includes a vertical shifting member 3 (see FIG. 2) resembling a plunger and movable downwardly to engage and displace the corresponding end portion of the associated crosshead 4. Each plunger 3 is provided at the lower end of a vertical spindle 3a which is held against rotation and meshes with a spindle nut 3b. The peripheral portion of the nut 3b constitutes a worm wheel and meshes with a worm 30 which can be rotated by a suitable motor or by hand to change the axial position of the corresponding shifting member 3. The end portions of each crosshead 4 rest on hydraulically operated rams 5 which are reciprocable in cylinders 5a provided in the arms 1 below the respective openings 1a. The rams 5 serve as a means for biasing the crossheads 4 against the corresponding shifting members 3 to thereby locate the crossheads in desired positions.

The sole difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 is that the upper side of the uppermost roll frame 2' shown in FIG. 2 is provided with two spaced projections or feet 2a which abut against the median portion of the crosshead 4. The projections 2a are immediately adjacent to the respective arms 1 and serve to transmit roll pressure to the crosshead 4 and thence to the arms 1.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show a portion of a roll stand which can be used in a universal rolling mill wherein the rolls 9 rotate about vertical axes. The roll stand comprises a column D having an upright portion 1 and two horizontal arms 6 which extend laterally from the upright portion 1'. The arms 6 are provided with registering openings 6a of rectangular outline which can receive the end portions of a horizontally reciprocable crosshead 7. In FIG. 3, the front end portion of the crosshead 7 extends into the opening 6a of one of the arms 6 and the remainder of this crosshead rests on a platform 7a which is affixed to the adjoining arm 6 or to the upright portion 1. The roll 9 is rotatable in a frame 8 one lateral side of which is provided with projections or feet 811 abutting against the median portion of the crosshead 7 when the latter assumes the operative position shown in FIG. 4. The shifting members for the end portions of the crosshead 7 are shown at 11, and these shifting members may be moved toward the upright portion 1 to shift the crosshead 7 and the frame 8 in a horizontal plane whereby the roll 9 moves nearer to the roll (not shown) which is installed in the other column of the stand. The spindles 11a of the shifting members 11 can be'moved axially by nuts which mesh with worms 10a.

The dimensions of openings 6a in the arms 6 are selected in such a way that each thereof can permit passage of the frame 8 and roll 9 upon withdrawal of the crosshead 7. This is shown in FIG. 5 which illustrates the frame 8 and its roll 9 during movement through the opening 6a of the lefthand arm 6 shown in FIG. 4. The manner in which the frame 8 is moved into registry with the openings 6a is not shown in the drawings." i

A very important advantage of my improved roll stand is that the frame or frames of rolls R or 9 can be withdrawn from and returned to their operative positions with little loss in time, by resorting to less expensive machinery, and that properadjustment in 'the position 'of such frames requires less time and less complicated shifting and adjusting devices than in the aforedescribed conventional roll stands which comprise caps secured to the upper ends of the columns. Also, the crosshead 4 or 7 occupies little floor space and need not carry or accommodate any adjusting, shifting or other parts so that it can be produced in known machinery and at low cost.

For example, and referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the frames 2 can be withdrawn by moving upwardly immediately after the crosshead 4 is withdrawn through the one or the other opening 1:: in the respective column A or B. The weight of a crosshead 4 is but a fraction of the weight of a conventional cap. The shifting members 3 and their drives can remain in the arms 1 at all times. The crossheads 4 can be withdrawn immediately after the rams 5 cease to bias them against the adjoining ends of the shifting members 3. The dimensions of these crossheads are relatively small and each thereof is in large surface-to-surface contact with the frames '2 or 2. These crossheads are mounted in such a way that they can offer maximum resistance to bending by the frames 2 or 2' when the roll stand is in actual use. This will be readily understood by referring to FIG. 1 which shows that the vertical transverse dimension of each crosshead 4 exceeds its horizontal transverse dimension. Furthermore, all stresses to which the crosshead 4 is subjected are fully balanced because its end portions are held between the shifting members 3 and rams 5 and its median portion abuts against a substantial part of the adjoining frame 2 or 2'. The crossheads need not be weakened by drilling, boring or other material removing treatment because they need not carry the adjusting means for the roll frames. This also contributes to reliable and deformation-free mounting of roll frames in the roll stand.

An important advantage of the roll stand which is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is that the space between the arms 6 can be used more economically than in conventional universal rolling mills. The dimensions of the crosshead 7' are very small (when compared to the dimensions of caps in presently known rolling mills), and at least one of the openings 6a is large enough to permit for convenient evacuation or insertion of a frame 8 and roll 9.

Without further analysis, the foregoing 'will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and.

specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intendedto be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A stand for rolls in a rolling mill, comprising a column having two mutually spaced arms provided withregistering openings, an elongated crosshead having end portions received with clearance in said openings and amedian portion extending between said arms; an adjustmg device provided on each of said arms and having a shifting member movable into abutment with the respective end portion of said crosshead to move the latter lengthwise of the arms; and a roll frame having an axis transversal to the direction of said elongated crosshead and abutting only against the median portion of said cross-' head.

2. A stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame carries one end of the upper roll of the stand.

3. A stand as defined in claim 2, further comprising a second frame for the other end of the roll, a second column having two mutually spaced arms provided with registering openings, a second crosshead parallel with said first mentioned crosshead and having end portions received with clearance in the openings of said last mentioned arms, said second crosshead further having a median portion extending between said last mentioned arms and abutting against said second frame, and additional adjusting devices provided in said last mentioned arms and each including a shifting member movable into abutment with one end portion of said second crosshead to move the latter lengthwise of said last mentioned arms.

4. A stand for rolls in a universal mill as defined in claim 1, wherein said column comprises a substantially upright portion and said arms extend laterally from said upright portion.

5. A stand as defined in claim 4, wherein said shifting members are arranged to move said crosshead in a direction toward said upright portion.

6. A stand as defined in claim 4, wherein said crosshead is withdrawable from said arms through at least one of said openings and wherein at least one opening is large of said crosshead. enough to permit passage of said frame upon withdrawal 7. A stand as defined in claim 6, wherein said arms are substantially horizontal and the roll in said frame is rotatable about a vertical axis.

8. A stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame comprises a plurality of legs abutting against the median portion of said crosshead.

9. A stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame has a side in continuous surface-to-surface contact with the median portion of said crosshead.

10. A stand as defined in claim 1, wherein one dimension of each of said openings exceeds one transverse dimension of said crosshead so that the latter can be moved by said shifting members in the direction of said one dimension, and wherein the other dimension of each of said openings at least approximates the other transverse dimension of said crosshead.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,331 3/1928 Pugh 72233 2,312,648 3/1943 Jones 72-248 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner B. J. MUSTAIKIS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 72-237 

